by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

With all due respect to Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff, this wasn't the kind of reaction his bosses had in mind when they fired Mike Brown and hired Mike D'Antoni in early November.

After the NBA announced its coach of the month recipients Monday, the award going to the Brooklyn Nets' Avery Johnson and the Memphis Grizzlies' Lionel Hollins, there was a groundswell of sarcastic support among frustrated Lakers fans on Twitter for the interim coach who was able to do what this so-called super team was expected to do all along: win. Bickerstaff should have been the pick, they said, in so many 140-character one-liners before continuing to lament the latest disarray in Laker Land.

For those who are counting (and the Laker Nation certainly is), Brown's 1-4 mark that got him fired was followed by Bickerstaff's 4-1 record and the 3-4 mark under D'Antoni. Bickerstaff's work is looking more legendary by the day, while D'Antoni and the club that is his are at wit's end when it comes to how to make the most of this star-studded group.

How bad is it?

--There's still no timeline for the return of point guard Steve Nash (broken leg), and the Lakers announced Monday that backup point guard Steve Blake (who has been out since Oct. 30) would have surgery Wednesday to repair a torn abdominal muscle and would be out for six to eight more weeks.

The Lakers' league-high $100 million payroll and roster with the maximum of 15 players means there's not much in the way of flexibility, with every move potentially having major financial ramifications when it comes to the luxury tax. Guards Chris Duhon and Darius Morris don't get it done when it comes to running D'Antoni's system, and you have to wonder if the team might look to stop the bleeding at the point guard spot. But where to find a tourniquet who can pass and shoot?

The Lakers (before Nash came aboard) were reportedly ready to sign the Toronto Raptors' Jose Calderon last summer if he was amnestied (which he wasn't), so one has to wonder if they might inquire about him. He's in the final year of his contract ($10.5 million) and playing behind starter Kyle Lowry. Unemployed options include Mike Bibby, Earl Boykins, Jannero Pargo or perhaps Mike James.

--The Lakers schedule won't be making this challenge any easier, as they play nine of their next 12 games on the road. The stretch includes a showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road Friday.

--Kobe Bryant hasn't been afraid to point out that one of the major problems is Pau Gasol. The veteran forward has had trouble keeping up with D'Antoni's pace and spends more time away from the basket than he'd like. His production, as a result, is on the decline: Gasol - who has averaged 18.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 36 minutes a game in his 12-year career - is averaging 10.1 points, eight rebounds and 31.4 minutes under D'Antoni and is routinely spending the end of games on the bench.

"Put your big boy pants on; just adjust," Bryant said of Gasol, according to the Los Angeles Times. "You can't whine about it. I'm 34 years old. I'm running screen-and-rolls out there. Steve (Nash) is out, and my (behind) is running up and down the court more than I have my entire career. I stay after practice and work on my ballhandling, my screen and roll."

As for whether the Lakers might consider trading Gasol, the options for a trade partner aren't exactly plentiful because of the combined $38 million he is owed for this season and next.